North State in brief: May 18, 2016

Land was trading child pornography, according to the Trinity County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies involved in fatal shooting

One person was killed Tuesday evening in an officer-involved shooting on Highway A-12 in Siskiyou County.

Siskiyou County deputies involved in the fatal shooting were not injured, according to Kelly Giordano, the public information officer for the sheriff's department.

The shooting occurred about 6:26 p.m., but few details were available Tuesday night.

The person involved in the incident suffered fatal injuries, the sheriff's office said.

'We are unable to release the names of the individuals involved in this incident as it is under investigation,' Giordano said.

Redding announces fire season's start

The start of the four-month fire season starts Monday, the Redding Fire Department announced.

The anticipated rainy season that will linger into the month does not take away from the upcoming period of elevated wildfire potential in the area, Redding Fire Chief Gerry Gray said.

Residents can start making their homes fire-safe by removing clutter, combustible materials and dry vegetation for the 2016 fire season, Gray said.

Man accused of having child porn

A Weaverville man has been arrested on suspicion of possessing child pornography, the Trinity County Sheriff's Office said.

The sheriff's office said it received information from officials in another state that Jesse Jerome Land was trading child pornography with a person in that state. During a search of Land's residence in Weaverville officials found several 'items of evidence,' officials said.

Land was arrested and told authorities he received and sent child pornography, officials said. He is being held at the Trinity County Jail in lieu of $50,000 bail.

Official: Birds likely hit by vehicles

After another round of tests has shown no poisons or pesticides found in birds killed along Interstate 5 in March, a state official said they likely died from being hit by vehicles.

The state Department of Fish and Wildlife tested three of the 80 to 100 starlings that were found dead along I-5 near the Wonderland Boulevard exit near the end of March.

Officials conducted numerous tests looking for such substances as pesticides and poisons as Avitrol, Starlicide, strychnine or heavy metals, said Krysta Rogers, an environmental scientist and avian disease specialist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

'These are the most common things that we find when we have poison cases,' Rogers said.

It is most likely the birds were killed by passing vehicles on the freeway, she said. The birds were found along the northbound lanes of the freeway, many of them were near the shoulder of the road.

Rogers conducted necropsies on the birds last month and found they had suffered such injuries as broken wings and sternums. They had the normal amount of muscle and body fat, indicating they were not suffering from a disease, she said.

Rogers said there was also nothing in the birds' digestive tracts to indicate they had been poisoned or had eaten bait with poison in it. There have been other instances where birds have been killed by flying into vehicles.

The birds may have been feeding in the area and were startled, causing them to fly into traffic, she said.